Computer Program that Replicates Handwriting!

UCL computer scientists have recently developed a computer program that can analyze a person's handwriting and accurately reproduce it. They named the program "My Text in Your Handwriting." This software could be useful because it allows you to write a note in your handwriting without even touching a pen and paper. Furthermore, it could be useful for stroke victims who may not be able to write legibly anymore, or for the replication of the handwriting of someone who is deceased.

The program works by scanning a paragraph or more of text in a user's handwriting and then converting it into a thin line. The computer works to break down this writing, looking for different letters and their positions. It also looks for other elements of writing like "splits" (where the line changes from a letter into ligatures, the extra parts that comprise joined handwriting) and "links" (two separate marks that are part of the same letter, like dotting an i). The computer constantly references previously scanned examples, but applies a degree of randomness in its replication of the writing so that the same letter shape combinations are not used every time. The computer also figures out the appropriate spacing to place between each letter and the size and position of the letters on the page. The computer mimics the pen line texture and color you were using by adding texturing.

The results of this software are pretty believable. The UCL scientists asked members of a group to decide which envelopes out of a pile of handwritten and software generated addresses were produced by a computer, and the group chose incorrectly 40% of the time.

While fonts and the ability to convert writing into text or text into writing have been developed previously, the ability to write in personalized handwriting is unprecedented. The only problem with this software is that it could be used for forgery for signatures or documents.

References:

Content:

http://phys.org/news/2016-08-programme-replicates.html

http://visual.cs.ucl.ac.uk/pubs/handwriting/

https://www.engadget.com/2016/08/12/a-computer-program-that-can-replicate-your-handwriting/

Images:

http://visual.cs.ucl.ac.uk/pubs/handwriting/img/results.jpg

What is the Cloud, Exactly??

I know that I've heard the term "could computing" many times, but I've never fully understood what it means. This post explains what the cloud is exactly, some of its benefits and uses,

In general, the cloud is a network of servers, each with a different function. Servers can be used to run applications, deliver a "service," or store data. The cloud is a metaphor for the internet; cloud computing means storing and accessing data and programs through the internet instead of a local storage area like your computer's hard drive. Local storage is fast and easy, but for those on the local network. With the cloud, cloud computing can be done anywhere, anytime with an online connection. For example, pictures you take on your phone are stored on the phone's internal hard drive; however, when you upload a picture to Instagram or Facebook, you are storing the information on the cloud. Chances are, you encounter and use the cloud all the time. Applications and services like Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox, even Netflix all use the cloud. Some services work in the cloud and store a synced version of your files online but also sync those files with local storage. When your data is stored "in the cloud," that basically means that it is stored on a remote server owned by a company like Apple or Google. Services that use the cloud pay these companies a membership fee to provide this remote storage area.

Benefits:
Companies used to have to buy all of their own storage and hardware equipment. With the introduction of the cloud, companies only have to pay for what they use. This makes it easy for a company to scale up or down, and they don't have to worry about staying up to date with storage equipment. This creates a company that is more cost effective and efficient. Cloud computing also makes it easy for a company to back up its data; it provides a way out if a company loses all of its local data or its local servers crash. With cloud computing, automatic software updates are also an added benefit, as well as the ability to work from anywhere, anytime. Documents are easily shareable among multiple people, and this means that the environmental impact of paper use can be easily reduced.

Arguments against the cloud:
The intellectual property line for information stored in the cloud can be very blurred: it can be hard to tell what information you own, and what information is owned by the company storing it. A provider could have a strong claim on the data you create in the cloud vs. the data you upload to the cloud. Furthermore, your internet service provider/ telecom company controls your access, and companies can continue to make you pay for doing more and more things because they have control over your data. Also, if your information access is unavailable or offline, you will, in most cases, be unable to work with data stored in the cloud. Although most cloud service providers implement great security standards and certifications, using external service providers always opens the door to security risks. You provide the provider with access to important data, and because that data is stored on the server of someone else, you are giving your trust (and money) to them to protect it.

References:

Content:
http://mashable.com/2013/08/26/what-is-the-cloud/#SZ5hx7iBZkqZ
http://gizmodo.com/what-is-the-cloud-and-where-is-it-1682276210
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2372163,00.asp

Images:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2372163,00.asp
https://www.cloudbuckit.com/images/blog/56/cloud-computing.png

Mind Controlled Robotic Arm that Allows Paralyzed Man to Feel Again!!!

Imagine a world in which paralyzed men and woman could regain their sense of touch. Recently, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center collaborated to demonstrate a technology that allows a paralyzed patient to experience the sensation of touch through a robotic arm that he controls with his brain. The patient's name is Nathan Copeland, and he injured his spinal cord in a car accident in 2004, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down and without the sensation of touch since his accident.

For the experiment, four micro-electrode arrays were implanted in the sensory cortex of Copeland's brain last spring. This is where the neurons that control hand movement and touch are located. Before the surgery, imaging techniques were used to identify the exact location of Copeland's brain that corresponded to each of his fingers and his palm. These micro-electrode arrays allowed Copeland to be connected to the BCI or Brain Computer Interface.

BCIs work through using electrodes to connect the brain to a computer program. The electrodes in the brain measure the small differences in the voltage between the neurons, the nerve cells in our brains that transmit electric signals. This signal is then amplified and filtered. After that, the signal is read as input into a computer program and interpreted. This can also work the other way around; the computer can convert a signal, such as one from a robotic arm, into the voltage necessary to trigger neurons. The signals are transmitted to the electrodes in the right area of the brain and, when received, the neurons fire in that area.

In Copeland's case, he is the first human to have experienced a sensation of touch through a robotic arm. When the doctor touched each of the fingers on the robot's right hand, Copeland described the experience as a natural sensation of touch instead of tingling, and was able to identify correctly the exact location of each of the touches on his hand.

References:

Content:
http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/brain-chip-helps-paralyzed-man-feel-his-fingers-n665881
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/10/13/in-a-medical-first-brain-implant-allows-paralyzed-man-to-feel-again/
http://www.upmc.com/media/NewsReleases/2016/Pages/bci_scitransl-lms.aspx
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/brain-computer-interface.htm

Images:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161013151356.htm
http://media3.s-nbcnews.com/j/newscms/2016_41/1749331/161013-robotic-hand-mn-1104_bd769511961914a5a51eb1d3316f3b2f.nbcnews-ux-2880-1000.jpg